In arid and semi-arid regions, systems of water management and irrigation are crucial for successful crop production, and therefore provide valuable information regarding human behavior and the environmental constraints under which they operated. Unfortunately, structural evidence of irrigation can be difficult to locate, prompting various studies to evaluate the utility of phytolith analysis as a means of identifying past water availability. Evidence suggests the ratio of long-cell to short-cell phytoliths is an effective measure of relative water availability in some important economic crops such as wheat, barley, and sorghum. Expanding on this, the present research applies a similar method of analysis to determine the utility of maize (Zea mays) phytoliths for understanding past water availability. Experimental maize crops receiving different amounts of irrigation were grown in Range Creek Canyon, Utah, a canyon in the northern Colorado Plateau occupied by Fremont populations most heavily from around 800-1100BP. The production of long-cell and short-cell phytoliths from maize leaves, husks, and tassels is analyzed using statistical modeling. Results suggest the ratio of long-cell to short-cell phytoliths in maize increases as a function of increased water availability. The statistical models indicate maize phytoliths are an effective tool for inferring past water availability. By examining maize phytolith assemblages from archaeological contexts, analyzing the inferred available water, and comparing to relative climate and precipitation records, systems of irrigation can be identified and better understood.

在干旱和半干旱地区，水管理和灌溉系统对于作物生产的成功至关重要，因此可以提供有关人类行为及其运行环境限制的宝贵信息。不幸的是，灌溉的结构证据很难找到，促使各种研究评估植硅体分析作为识别过去可用水量的手段的效用。有证据表明，长细胞植硅体与短细胞植硅体的比率是衡量小麦、大麦和高粱等一些重要经济作物的相对可用水量的有效指标。在此基础上，本研究应用类似的分析方法来确定玉米的效用（Zea mays) 植硅体，用于了解过去的可用水量。接受不同灌溉量的试验玉米作物生长在犹他州的 Range Creek Canyon，这是科罗拉多高原北部的一个峡谷，在 800-1100BP 左右，弗里蒙特种群占据了大部分。使用统计模型分析了从玉米叶、壳和流苏中产生的长细胞和短细胞植硅体。结果表明，玉米中长细胞植硅体与短细胞植硅体的比率随着水可用性的增加而增加。统计模型表明，玉米植硅体是推断过去可用水量的有效工具。通过从考古背景检查玉米植硅体组合，分析推断的可用水，并与相关气候和降水记录进行比较，